Trolley-catcher.



PATENTED 0CT. ,251 1904.

C. F. DAVY.

TROLLEY CATCHER.

-APPLIOATION FILED JUNE zo, 1904.

` No MODEL.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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No. 773,314. PATBNTBD 00125, 1904. 4c. LP. DAVY. TROLLEY autumn.

APPLIoATIvoN HLBD JUNE 20, 1904. No MODEL. z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

W/l-TNESSES jl T110 LNEYS,

- UNITED STATES Patented oetber 25, 1904.

CHARLES F. DAVY, OF MOHAVK, NEV YORK.

TRoLLEY-oATol-IER.

SPECIFICATION forming part o f Letters Patent No. 773,314, dated October 25. 1904.

Application filed June 20, 1904.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, CHARLES-F. DAVY, "of

Mohawk, in the county of Herkimer and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trolley-Catchers; and I do hereby declare that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide improvements in trolley catchers and retrievers, which improvements are directed to providing such a device of simple and superior construction which is effective in operation and not liable to get out of order from wear and tear or from accumulation of dirt or dust or from sleet or snow. Y.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a face View of the device. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 shows on an enlarged scale the device mostly in section. Fig. 5 shows in perspective the reel employed in the construction. Fig. 6 shows the main spring-catch in connection with the other parts. Fig. 7 shows details of the operatinglever and a pawl or lock. Fig. 8 shows in perspective the operating-lever. Fig. 9 shows in perspective the rear or base plate of the construction. Fig. 9 is a detached view showing the operating-lever and pawl or lock with other parts in full lines in the same position as they are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. Fig. 10 shows a modiiied form of catch which may be employed in the construction.

Referring to the reference letters and fig'- ures in a more particular description of the device, 1 indicates the back or base plate of the construction, which is adapted to be secured to the car and support the rest of the mechanism. Projecting' laterally from the base-plate 1- is a shaft or spindle 2. On the outer end of this spindle there is mounted the reel 3, which is provided with a grooved periphery to receive a quantity of cord and is mounted on the spindle 2 to rotate freely thereon. The tension-spring 4 is attached at Serial No. 213,217. (No model.)

one end tothe reel and at the other end to the spindle 2. The cord A after passlng around the reel and being attached at one end to the reel 4 is carried around a roller 6, mounted on the outer end of the swinging arm or controlling-lever 7. The arm 7 is pivoted or hinged on the spindle 2 adjacent to the base and is provided with a hub 7, having laterally-projecting teeth 8, which operate as Vcamming-faces in connection with somewhat similar teeth 9, provided on the base-plate 1 in a boss surrounding the spindle 2. By reason of the cam-faces on the parts 8 and 9 the base of the lever 7 has a lateral movement along the spindle 2 and is adapted to operate through the medium of the crossbar 10, which is pivoted on the spindle 2 of the catches 11 11.

The retrieving-spring 12, which of course is a heavier spring than the tension-spring 4, is attached at its inner end to the spindle 2 and at its outer end to the retrieving-spring case 1.3, which case includes a ratchet-wheel part 14, having a bearing on the spindle 2. The catches 11 operate through openings in the ratchet-wheel part 14 and are adapted to engage with ratchet-teeth 15 on the inner side of the reel. For withdrawing the catches 11 and moving the cross-har 10 to the right, as the parts'are shownin Fig. 4, there are provided springs 18, surrounding the catches 11, as shown. For securing the ratchet-wheel 14, with the retrieving-spring casing, from rotation when not engaged with the reel there is provided a pawl 20, mounted on a pivot 21, projecting from the base-plate 1. The pivotal portion of the pawl is an elongated hub, as shown. This pawl is adapted to engage with the ratchet-teeth on the periphery of ratchetwheel 14 and is operated to unlocked position by means of a rod connection 22 between the lower extension of the pawl and the lower eX- tension of the tripping-lever 7. For throwing the pawl 2O into engaged position there is provided a spring 24, one end of which is adapted to engage with a fixed pin 25 in the base-plate 1, while the other end of the spring is secured to the pivoted end of the pawl 20.

One end of the trolley-line A is attached to the reel 3 and passed around the roller 6, be-

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ing passed between the roller and the keeper 6 thereof. lVhen in normal position, the tripping-lever 7 stands at an angleto the general position of the reel, as shown in Fig. 1. lVhen the tripping-lever is in the position shown in Fig'. 1, the dogs11 are released from engagement with the ratchet-teeth 15 of the reel, and the retrieving-spring is held by the dog 20 engaging' with the ratehet-wheel14. Under ordinary circumstances as the. trolley follows the trolley-wire the cord A will be drawn off or allowed to wind on thereel under the influence of the tension-spring 4 without disturbing the position of the tripping-lever 7. lVhen the trolley loses the trolley-wire, or under any extraordinary pull on the trolley-cord by reason of the angle which the trolley cord makes in passing around the roller 6, the tripping-lever 7 will be thrown from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 and Ain full lines in Fig. 7 to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7. 1n this operation the cam-teeth 8 on the hub of the tripping-lever engaging with the camfaces on the boss of the base-plate moves the lever, together with the cross-bar 10, toward the ratchet, forcing the catches 11 into engagement with the ratchet-teeth 15. This couples together the reel and the retrievingspring 12. The arrangement is such that after the catches 11 have become engaged with the ratchet-teeth 15 the pawl 2O is thrown out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel 14 by reason of the draw on the connection 22 connecting together the lever and lower end of the pawl 20. The length of the connectingrod 2Q is somewhat greater than the normal distance between the parts of the pawl 20 and the lever 7 which are connected, and the rod slides in one or both to some extent when being operated. W hen the pawl 2O is thrown out, the retrieving-spring 12 is free to operate to rotate the reel, assisted, of course, by the tension-spring 4. The strength of the combined springs is -arranged to be sufcient to ldraw down the trolley against the tension of the springs or devices which hold it in elevated position to make it follow the trolleywire. When the operator desires to replace the trolley, he does so by forcibly drawing off sufiicient of the trolley-cord from the reel 3 to wind up the retrieving-spring 12 to the desired tension. Vhen this has been done, he moves the tripping-lever 7 from the position in which it is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 7 to that in which it is shown in full lines in the same figure. This operates, first, to allow the dog 2O to become engaged with the ratchet-wheel of the restraining-spring casing, and, second, to uncouple the retrievingspring' casing from the reel. lVhen this has been done, the device is again in readiness for operation.

In Fig. 10 a modified form of construction of the catch 11 is shown. In the modified form of construction the catch is 'made in two pieces 11 and 11b, which have a spring 11' introduced between these relatively movable parts. This enables the cross-bar to be forced over at any time, even though the ratchetteeth 15 are not registering perfectly with the catches at the time of this movement.

1t will be noted particularly from Fig. 4 that the teeth 9 on the spindle-boss are somewhat extended on their points, as indicated at 9. The arrangement of parts is preferably such that the dog 2() will be thrown out while the point of the tooth 8 is moving along' this iiat end or face of the tooth 9. By this arrangement the dogs 11 are sure to be engaged with the reel before the retrieving-spring is released by the dog ZO. Further than that, when it comes to resetting the device the tripping-lever 7 can be moved somewhat toward its normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, allowing the dog 20 to assume its holding position while the catches 11 are still engaged with the ratchet-teeth 15. Thus when the operator desires to reset the spring he can pull a limited amount on the cord and stop and make a second or third effort, and all that he has gained is saved by the dog or pawl 20, engaged with the ratchet-wheel 14.

What 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination in a trolley-catcher of a reel, a spindle on which the reel is mounted to rotate freely, a tension-spring attached at one end to the spindle and at the other end to the reel, a retrieving-spring attached at one end to the spindle, a retrieving-spring easing including a ratchet-wheel to which the other end of the retrieving-spring is attached, a pawl for engaging the ratchet-wheel of the retrieving-spring casing, catches for coupling the retrieving-spring casing to the reel, and a tripping-lever 'for operating the said catches and pawl, carrying a roller under which the cord from the reel is passed, substantially as set forth. l

2. The combination in a trolley-catcher of a reel, a spindle on which the reel is mounted to rotate freely, a tension-spring attached at one end to the spindle and at the other end to the reel, a retrieving-spring attached at one end to the spindle, a retrieving-spring casing including a ratchet-wheel to which the other end of the retrieving-spring is attached, a iiXed pawl for engaging the ratchet-wheel of the retrieving-spring casing, catches for coupling together the retrieving-spring casing and the reel, a tripping-lever pivoted on the spindle and provided with means for operating the pawl and catches, and adapted to swing from a normal position at one side of the vertical line through the retriever toward or past the said vertical line, and a roller carried on the outer end of the tripping-arm, around which the cord is passed, substantially as set forth.

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3. The combination in a trolley-catcher of a reel, having a circle of ratchet-teeth l5, a spindle on which the reel is rnounted to rotate freely, having fixed earn-faces at its base, a tension-spring attached at one end to the spindle and at the other to the reel, a retrievingspring attached at one end to the spindle, a retrieving-spring casing including a ratchet- Wheel to which easing the other end of the retrieving-spring is attached, a catch adapted tov engage With the ratchet-teeth l5 of the reel and couple the reel and retrieving-spring casing together, a tripping-lever pivoted on the base of the spindle having oaln-faoeseoperating day of June, 1904.

CHARLES F. DAVY. Witnesses:

J. BENJ. BRADY, EMMA S. HESSE. 

